‘One Bar, One Vote’ Rule Extended to DBA Polls, HC Orders Voter List Cleanup The Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court on Wednesday extended the ‘one bar, one vote’ principle to the upcoming District Bar Association (DBA) elections, ensuring advocates who have already voted in the High Court Bar Association (HCBA) polls are excluded from the DBA electoral roll. A division bench of Justices Anil Kilor and Raj Wakode issued the directive while hearing a petition filed by senior counsel Mohan Sudame and others, seeking strict enforcement of the rule. The court emphasized that the principle, which prohibits advocates from participating in multiple bar association elections, must be upheld to prevent vote duplication and maintain electoral integrity. The order followed an earlier directive from the high court in October 2025, which required advocates to submit undertakings confirming they would vote in only one bar association election. Under that directive, 1,507 advocates submitted such undertakings, of which 1,444 were validated by the HCBA election committee. The court had warned that any violations of this rule would invite disciplinary action. During the recent hearing, the bench noted that while its earlier directive was interim, immediate enforcement was necessary due to the approaching DBA elections on April 24. The court ruled that excluding HCBA voters from the DBA electoral roll was essential to uphold the principle in the current cycle. The issue had previously reached the Supreme Court, which dismissed a challenge to the high court’s directive, reinforcing the validity of the ‘one bar, one vote’ framework. The Bombay High Court has scheduled a further hearing on the matter after the summer vacation, pending additional submissions.#bombay_high_court #high_court_bar_association #district_bar_association #mohan_sudame #akshay_sudame
Bar Council Poll Marred by Voter List Errors, Turnout Hovers Near 50% Voting for the Maharashtra and Goa Bar Council elections concluded peacefully on Tuesday, but widespread discrepancies in voter lists cast a shadow over the polling process. Officials and participating lawyers reported that multiple voters discovered their names were either missing from the electoral rolls or incorrectly listed in distant districts such as Mumbai and Nanded. Former High Court Bar Association (HCBA) office-bearer Pankaj Tidke found his name registered in Mumbai despite being listed under Nagpur’s lawyers’ rolls. Despite these administrative lapses, the estimated turnout in Nagpur district hovered near 50%. At the high court polling center, approximately 700 out of 900 registered voters cast their ballots. On the district court premises, seven polling booths recorded around 3,200 votes from nearly 7,000 registered voters. In total, about 4,100 urban voters participated out of an estimated 8,000, while rural turnout figures were still pending. The election holds significant importance for the legal community across Maharashtra and Goa, as the elected members will shape regulatory and professional decisions in the sector. A total of 23 members—18 men and five women—will be elected through this process. Additionally, two women advocates will be inducted as nominated members to the executive council post-election. From Vidarbha, experienced candidates such as Parijat Pande, Asif Qureshi, and Anil Govardipe, who previously served on the Bar Council, are competing. They face a group of first-time candidates, including Sagar Lambat, Sanjay More, Sandeep Nandeshwar, Vaishali Khedekar, Priyanka Chokhare, and Uma Bhattad, reflecting a blend of seasoned professionals and newcomers.#nagpur_district #maharashtra_bar_council #goa_bar_council #pankaj_tidke #high_court_bar_association
